


Katakiuchi (2006)

by JennyB



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Arguing, Dark Magic, Demons, Established Relationship, Ghosts, Halloween, M/M, Regret, Revenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-10-31
Updated: 2006-10-31
Packaged: 2018-01-22 02:17:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1572404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an innocent prank goes horribly awry, Seto vows revenge on those responsible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Katakiuchi is the practice of revenge killings, originally undertaken by the Samurai class to uphold the honour of their family. Sometimes, these killings could involve the relatives of an offender. While this is still practiced today, it is most often pursued by peaceful means…

"Come on, Seto, _please_?" Jou wheedled as he nuzzled further against the brunet, even going so far as to teasingly lick his pulse point.

Seto let out a soft groan as he tipped his head back, the deep, sapphire eyes sliding closed at the sensual touch. "I already told you once, and the answer is still no," he breathed, torn between drawing his lover closer to him or pushing him away. He heard the small whimper of protest, and with a heavy sigh, he _did_ push the blond back slightly so that he could look into the wide, smouldering amber. "You know that I have to attend this meeting tonight. Hell, it's been on my calendar since mid-July, and it is my turn to chair. I can't cancel it simply because your friends have chosen the same night to throw a party." He didn't bother to add that even if he hadn't had anything scheduled for that evening, he still wouldn't be interested in attending a Halloween party hosted by Yugi and company.

Jounouchi nodded petulantly as he flopped back onto one of the pillows. "Fine." He pouted for a few minutes more, and then turned back to the brunet and propped himself up on an elbow. "If you finish early, will you at least come by and say hi? I promise, it's only going to be a few of us." He began to list them off on his fingers. "Me, Yugi, Anzu, Honda, maybe Ryou...and Yami. So five – maybe six. I don't think Otogi's going to be there, or Malik…"

Seto's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of the former Pharaoh's name. Ever since Isis had found an ancient spell that allowed him to take corporeal form for up to six hours a day, the brunet's existence had been tormented by his archrival. He hated the condescending, smug, _infuriating_ monarch – and seeing him in the flesh just made his blood boil. "You know how I feel about Yami," he said quietly, sighing again when he saw the pleading look on his lover's face. "All right, Katsuya…If it means that much to you, I'll stop by on my way home from the hotel. But I'm not dressing up."

At hearing that, a wide grin split Jounouchi's face. "But you will be, Set'! If anyone asks, you're James Bond, ne? After all, you'll be in that sexy tux of yours." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Maybe I should change my mind and dress up as a super villain. Then, when we get home, you can tie me up and 'interrogate' me..." He purred softly as he teasingly nipped the brunet's lower lip. 

A low, sensual growl escaped Seto's lips, and he leaned forward, partially pinning the smaller male underneath his frame as he claimed that hot, sultry mouth. He could feel himself growing hard and, reluctantly, he pulled away, resting his forehead against the other's. "God...if I don't start getting ready now, I'll be late." He chuckled humourlessly. "You certainly have a way of making me contemplate compromising my priorities."

"Hn...And one of these days I'm going to succeed, too," Jounouchi replied as he shifted his body, arching his hips up slightly, rubbing his groin against Seto's enticingly. "You sure I can't make you change your mind?" He trailed his tongue down the brunet's throat, nipping teasingly at his collarbone and chuckling darkly at the pleasured hiss he received for his efforts. "After all, I'm ready and willing right now...Tonight I might be too scared to even think about doing anything like this."

Seto raised his head at that, frowning slightly as he looked into Jounouchi's eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The blond chuckled, half nervously, half sheepishly as he looked into that piercing sapphire gaze. "I'm just messing around, Set'. The guys said that tonight, they're going to scare the hell out of me. I've got to admit; I'm a little nervous since they won't give me any hints at all."

The frown deepened. "They'd better not do something stupid. If they do, I'll make them regret it – your friends or no."

Jounouchi pinked slightly, a small smile on his face. "Aww, relax Set'. They're not going to do anything dangerous. They're smarter than that." He saw the dubious look the other was giving him. "Yeah, I know they've not really grown up a lot since we graduated last year, but I trust them, Set'. I'd trust 'em with my life."

The brunet snorted humourlessly at that. "I wouldn't. And I hope the day never comes where you have to call on that trust... I have a feeling things wouldn't turn out for you as well as you would like." Wordlessly, he slipped from the bed and padded off to his bathroom to take a shower. A few moments later, he heard the glass doors slide open, and felt a pair of warm hands slip around his waist.

"I'm sorry for making you mad, Set'."

Seto closed his eyes in frustration, loosing a quiet, exasperated sigh before he turned around to face his lover. "I'm not mad at you, Katsuya. I just…It frustrates me that you put so much faith in them. You're a good person with a trusting heart. I just don't think you get the same devotion in return. Yes, they're your friends, but they don't support you when you need them." He cupped the blond's cheeks in his hands and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry...but you know how I feel about surprises and practical jokes in general."

"What about you?" Jounouchi asked, stiffening slightly and stepping away from the other. "You were the nastiest of all, and I trusted you. And now, here we are, two years later, and engaged. If I followed what you're telling me now, I'd never have given you a chance back then."

The brunet's eyes narrowed slightly. "I didn't say to not give them a chance. I'm warning you to be careful whom you trust, especially with something as important as your life. Trust is something that is earned through demonstration. I'd like to think that I've done so. You know that I'd willingly give my life to save yours if I had to. Can you say the same thing about them? Would any of them make that ultimate sacrifice for you, or would they stand off to the side and deride you for their own amusement as they so often do?"

"You don't know them!" Jounouchi replied heatedly, feeling an irrational anger spreading over him. "They don't treat me any worse than you did when..." He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening, an embarrassed flush creeping across his cheeks. "Seto, I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean –"

Seto's scowl deepened at that, his eyes a reflection of guilt, anger and shame. "I explained that to you a long time ago," he said quietly, his voice eerily calm. "Apparently, you're not as 'ok' with it as you claimed, ne?" For a moment, he glowered at the other, and then he hissed, "I know I was an insensitive asshole. I know I hurt you deeply with my words. I don't regret much, but I do regret the cruel things I've said to you every day of my life. I've tried to make amends through my actions, but apparently, I've not succeeded.   
Tell me...do you look at me and think I'll do that to you again?"

"Set', you know I forgave you for that a long time ago..." He met the intense sapphire, a slightly nervous look in his golden eyes.

"That's not what I asked," Seto replied, not breaking his gaze. "You don't have to say it, Jounouchi. I can see it in your eyes. You fear me. And if you fear me, you don't trust me. Isn't that just fucking peachy?" He felt an uncomfortable prickling at the corners of his eyes, and he stepped under the spray, masking his hurt with the steamy deluge, and turning his back to the other to continue with his shower.

"Seto, no! I..." The blond worried his bottom lip with his teeth, his expression anxious. "Shit...I feel like I fucked up bad this time..." He sighed silently, knowing that the other was now beyond pissed off, and that he wouldn't be willing to talk until he'd had a chance to cool off and rationalize. Besides, just by looking at the brunet's body language, Jou knew that he'd inadvertently hurt the other's feelings. Badly. "Fuck...can we please talk about this tonight, when you come get me from the party? Please?" He saw the brief, stiff nod and, even though the other couldn't see him, he nodded in return, relief flooding through him. Gently, he trailed a hand down his lover's back in a soft caress, and then stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around himself. "Seto, I love you more than anything. I know deep down that you're my soul mate, and I've never been happier. And I do trust you."

"Whatever."

That was the last word he would ever speak to Jounouchi.

* * *

Honda draped a friendly arm around Jounouchi's shoulder as he handed him another glass of the fruit punch Anzu had made earlier. The stocky brunet was dressed as an airline pilot, his forage cap sitting at an awkward angle on his head. "So, having fun?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face as he took in the blond's attire. "What the hell are you supposed to be, anyway?" he demanded with a half-drunken chuckle as he took in the cheap polyester suit and the lightweight dark grey trench coat.

Jounouchi arched a brow as he looked at him. "I've told you like a million times, asshole," the blond replied as he ran his fingers through his slicked back blond tresses. "I'm Fox Mulder – you know, from the X-Files?"

"Ohhh, right!" Honda replied, giving the blond a playful elbow, and spilling some of his drink on the floor. "I'm surprised you didn't dress up as Kaiba or something."

"Yeah, Jou," Anzu replied as she came over to gently tug the fin-haired brunet over to the couch to sit down, before dropping onto the cushion beside him, her pink ballerina tutu sticking up around her. "It figures you'd pick something from the television. You really do watch too much TV." 

"I do not!" Jounouchi replied defensively, Seto's words from before echoing almost mockingly in his mind. Looking to hurriedly change the subject, he asked, "Where are Yami and Yugi anyway? I saw them a while ago."

A slow smile curved across Honda's face. "Well, you saw that Yami's dressed as the Pharaoh with Yugi as his little concubine…where the hell do you think they went?" he demanded with a snicker, ignoring the smack he earned from the petite brunet beside him.

"Pig!" she chastised, looking absolutely appalled.

"Oh, fuck you, Anzu!" Honda replied jeeringly. "You're hardly as chaste and pure as you pretend to be. If Ryou was here, I'm sure you'd be all over him right now. Where is he, anyway?"

Anzu blushed a shade of red that would be the envy of any tomato as she hauled off and slapped him. Hard. "He had to work late. He said he might stop by later on – not that it's any of your business, Honda Hiroto!" she replied shrilly.

Jounouchi snickered as he took his drink and moved to sit in the large armchair in front of the television, not wanting to get in the middle of what was sure to be an epic showdown. Yugi, before his unexplained disappearance, had loaded the DVD player with a fine selection of corny slasher movies, and the blond had decided to sit back and enjoy a couple of laughs while the two brunets had a battle of wits. A smirk curved across Jounouchi's face. He'd never say so to Honda, but his best friend was, and always had been, at a bit of a disadvantage in such confrontations.

About twenty minutes later, Yugi returned to the living room, his hair slightly sweat-dampened, the blond spikes sagging slightly, and a light flush on his face. He was carrying a box under his arm, and wearing a large, albeit sheepish, grin. "Sorry about that, guys," he said, stifling a giggle. "Yami wanted to, uh, talk about…some stuff."

"Yeah…I bet it was a real intense conversation too, ne, Yugi?" Honda remarked with a snicker from underneath the throw pillow that Anzu was currently trying to press over his face. The stocky brunet gave her a push off of him when she was momentarily distracted by their short friend, and he went to go sit on the arm of the chair Jounouchi currently occupied.

The tri-coloured haired man pinked further and dropped his gaze, peeking up at them all with a coy smile. "Well, Yami's time for the day was nearly up, so…" Trailing off, and clearing his throat, Yugi moved over to the coffee table and knelt down beside it, setting the box he was carrying on top of it.

"Ouija board?" Jounouchi asked as he sat up in his chair and turned off the television. "Come on, Yug'! Those things are for babies, and they never work anyway!"

"What's the matter, Jou? You scared to try it on Devil's Night?" Yugi replied with a small waggle of his eyebrows as he removed the board and the planchette from the box and set them up in front of him.

"Like hell!" the blond quipped as he slid from his seat and knelt on the floor opposite his friend, Anzu and Honda taking spots on their sides. "Bring it."

* * *

Yami chuckled as he stood in the spirit realm, watching his friends interacting. Despite everything the group had witnessed over the past few years, he wasn't that surprised to see that Jounouchi was sceptical about the Ouija board. After all, the blond had been living with Kaiba Seto for some time, and had likely picked up some of his habits and ways of thinking by now. He grinned. By the end of the night, he was going to make sure that the blond was once again familiar with just how 'real' spirits and ghosts were! He thought back to the plan Yugi, Honda and Anzu had come up with. They were going to attempt to channel a 'demon', which would be played by Yami. The former pharaoh was going to require a fair amount of energy to be able to move the planchette while in his spirit form, and so he and Yugi had spent the past half an hour preparing for that. Everything was ready – now it was all up to how well the other three could act.

Yami laughed delightedly when he heard Yugi begin the 'ritual' to summon the creature. The small man was certainly able to make it sound convincing – especially since Yami had taught him some ancient Egyptian words and phrases. To the layman, it sounded authentic, but the pharaoh had to laugh – Yugi was basically reciting a grocery list.

Suddenly, there was a sinister sounding hiss, like that from a large serpent. Yami's crimson eyes widened slightly as he looked around for the source. In his present form, he couldn't warn Yugi, and before he could phase back slightly from the spirit realm to the human one, he located the source. "Apep," he murmured, his eyes narrowed.

The other spirit gave a hissing laugh as he appeared, his frame tall and muscular, his head that of a cobra. "I'm so pleased you remember me, Pharaoh," he purred, giving a derisive bow, his red, beady eyes glaring at the other. Apep smoothed down the white linen kilt as he stood, his claw-like fingers resting on his slender hips. "It's taken me a long time to find you, Pharaoh Atem."

"What is it you want?" Yami demanded.

There was another maniacal laugh. "Why, revenge, of course. You're the one who had your High Priest banish me for three millennia. You didn't think I'd forget to come calling once I was freed, did you?" He glanced down at the four friends awaiting a sign from the spirit world, and a malicious grin curved across the reptilian features.

"No!" Yami exclaimed. "You can do what you want to me, but leave my friends out of this!"

"Ahhh…so you have learned to care about someone besides yourself in all this time. I'm touched," Apep chuckled. "I'll tell you what, Pharaoh. I'm reasonable. Choose one of them, or I'll kill them all."

"I won't do it!" Yami protested. "I already told you that you could have your revenge on me."

"I don't think so…You see, I've found a much more attractive prize, and I've changed my mind. What fun would it be to kill you when I could kill them and watch you suffer?" He laughed contemptuously when Yami glared at him, and as the former pharaoh tried to attack him, he easily dodged, and then grabbed the crimson-eyed monarch's wrists, effectively restraining him. "How foolish to try to subdue a god!" Apep sneered as he leaned down to whisper in Yami's ear. "I'll tell you what. You were the 'King of Games', so we'll make this interesting. The last one to remove his hands from the planchette, I will kill. That way, you don't have to bear the burden of choosing – unless of course, you want to before we begin?" Not waiting for the other to answer, Apep transferred both of Yami's wrists to one large hand, and with the other, he rested a long finger on the pointer, spelling out, _'I'm here'._

The group of four blinked, and Anzu immediately removed her hands and dropped them into her lap. "I'm sorry, guys, but that's just too freaky for me!" she stated, trying her best to stifle her giggles. She had to admit, Yami was good – in delaying a little, he had definitely heightened the suspense and added to the tension.

"That's one down, Pharaoh," Apep murmured, shifting his glowing eyes back to the three remaining males. "I do hope this doesn't take too long. It's been a while since I've been permitted to play like this; not that I ever needed _your_ permission." He gave the other spirit a grotesque smile, and then spelled out, _'Who wants to die tonight?'_

"Uh, none of us, really," Jou replied, unable to keep from laughing. "Jesus, Hon', can you be a little more predictable?"

"Hey, _I'm_ not the one moving it!" Honda replied, holding his hands up in a gesture of innocence before he returned his fingers to the planchette.

"Yeah, bullshit," Jounouchi teased. "That's the kind of stupid crap you'd say, baka."

"Hn…that's _two_ down, Pharaoh." Apep glanced between Yugi and Jounouchi. "The small one looks like you. No wonder you're attracted to him. You always did love yourself the most. Maybe he'll be the one to suffer for your transgressions." 

"That's enough!" Yami protested, trying to wriggle free of the god's grasp, but finding himself unable to do so.

The reptilian deity snorted in amusement. "You want to go to them, go ahead, Pharaoh. You won't stop me from doing what I have set out to accomplish." With that, he released his hold on the other, and he laughed darkly as he watched Yami phase back to the corporeal world. _'One of you must die,'_ he spelled.

Jounouchi arched a brow. "Fuck!" he exclaimed, a wide grin splitting his face. "It makes sense now. You've got Yami doing this, don't you, Yug'?" He turned his attention to the board. "You're going to have to do better than that, Yami," Jou teased. "I'm not as easy to fool as I once was." He laughed delightedly. "Gotta admit though, it's a pretty good gag."

Yugi sat back on his heels, dropping his hands into his lap. "Yeah, you figured it out, Jou. I've got to admit, I'm impressed! I –" He paused when he saw the figure of his lover in the doorway. "Yami?" he asked, obviously confused. "If you're here, then who's _here_?"

Without a word of explanation, Yami crossed the room and dragged the planchette across the word 'goodbye'. "There," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. "You're all safe."

The blond chuckled. "Sorry, Yami. I'm not buying it. Like I said to Yug', it was a good gag, but…well, you know."

Suddenly, the planchette, which Jounouchi still had his fingers resting on, began to move. _'You can't get rid of me that easily, Pharaoh. This one dies.'_

Jounouchi paled a little, and forced a chuckle. "Pretty neat trick," he began. "Mind explaining that one to me?"

Before Yami could respond, there was a low hissing sound, and then the blond's body went rigid, his face contorted in a grimace, his hands seemingly pinned to his sides as he fell over. Honda and Yugi both looked at Yami, who appeared terrified, and then they tried to help Jounouchi up off the floor.

"Shit…it feels like there's something wrapped around him…something that weighs a _ton_!" Honda exclaimed, starting to panic as he watched the blond start to turn blue. "Yami, fuck, what's happening? He can't breathe! Help him!"

"I can't," the former pharaoh replied. "I don't have the capacity to defeat a god."

"Call…Set'," Jounouchi managed to rasp, his skin rapidly becoming a very unhealthy colour.

The coils around Jounouchi relaxed slightly, and Apep made himself visible to the rest of the group. He had reverted to his natural form – a sixteen foot python/cobra hybrid, and he was currently wrapped completely around the blond's body, his forked tongue nearly flicking his captive's ear. "By all means…I want the High Priest to see this…" He flexed his coils, the life continuing to slip away from his victim.

Honda didn't bother to refute the god's statement about Kaiba as he reached for Jounouchi's cell phone to call the blond's lover. Before he could dial, they heard the bell ring, and Anzu, her face streaked with tears, ran to answer it. Those still upstairs heard a furious curse from Kaiba – obviously, Anzu had given the tall brunet a brief synopsis of what was happening.

Moments later, Seto entered the living room, his sapphire eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene, his glare positively murderous as it landed on Yami. "Release him," he demanded to Apep.

The deity chuckled delightedly. "Ahhh….High Priest Seth…it's been a long time since I've seen you, and you're still as demanding and arrogant as ever!" he drawled, punctuating the last word by tightening his coils around the blond, and giving a satisfied hiss when he felt a couple of ribs crack under the pressure. "I don't blame you for banishing me all those years ago…after all, you were merely a puppet of the Pharaoh…a _slave_ to his wishes…" He laughed outright when he heard the angry growl, and he gave the blond's ear a sensual flick with his tongue. "I can see why you like this one…he's very pretty. You can thank Pharaoh Atem for his current predicament."

"Will you take something else in trade for his life? Like mine?" Seto asked, taking a half-step back when Apep snapped at him, the venom slick along his long fangs.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Apep replied as he watched the fire that normally sparkled in the brilliant amber eyes dim, and then fade away. "Besides, the pharaoh was given the choice as to whom should die here tonight." As the last breath was squeezed from Jounouchi's lungs, the snake lifted its head and gave a hiss of pleasure. "By the gods, that was fun," he purred as he slowly uncoiled from around the now lifeless body and resumed his bipedal form. Bowing lowly, he turned to Yami. "As per our agreement, our debt is now settled, Pharaoh. Thank you for helping me." In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Before the spirit had faded from sight, Seto had been at Jounouchi's side, cradling the broken form in his arms as he gently stroked a finger down his lover's cheek. His head was bowed, his forehead resting on the crown of blond hair. He felt a presence at his side, and not looking up, he growled, "You'd better get as far away from me as you can right now, Yami. I have no desire to talk to you. In fact, the only thing I want to do right now is tear your heart out and hand it to you."

"Kaiba, I'm so sorry, but it was just supposed to be a harmless prank," Yami began gently. "Nothing was supposed to happen."

Scowling, Seto got to his feet, holding the lifeless form against his chest as he glowered at them all. "Perhaps not, but it did. And you permitted it to happen." He glanced down at the love of his life, his eyes clouding as he saw the seemingly serene expression on his face. "I will never forgive you for that. Any of you," he sneered venomously. Without another word, he left the room, oblivious to the blond spirit that stood just outside of his peripheral vision, a forlorn expression on his face as he reached out for him.


	2. Chapter Two

November the fourth was a cold, overcast day. A light, frigid drizzle was falling just hard enough to make being outside completely miserable. Isono stood next to Seto, a large, black umbrella shielding him from the elements, but the brunet barely noticed. He was completely numb – both physically and emotionally. The blond's death itself had been exceedingly hard on him, but the circumstances surrounding it made him feel worse. He regretted leaving Jounouchi that afternoon, parting ways as they had. He hated the fact that he'd gone to that business meeting and hadn't spent the extra time with the blond. But most of all, he abhorred Yami for allowing his past indiscretions to affect another's house. Jounouchi had been the love of his life; his soul mate. It had taken him months to deal with his own insecurities in approaching people, and another year to allow the blond into his heart. Now, as he stood out on the rolling lawn and listened to the preacher make trite, impersonal statements about Jounouchi's character and lust for life, he felt a painful, crushing sensation in his chest that made him want to curl up and die. And, try as he might, he couldn't make it go away. He chanced a glance over to where the blond's friends stood, and the only emotion he could feel when he saw them was an inexplicable rage. Growling softly, he bowed his head, a single tear managing to escape his eye before he once again suppressed everything, that surreal, anaesthetic feeling washing over him once more. He thought back to the call he had received from Mokuba the previous night. The younger Kaiba was currently living in Tokyo and attending school through the Kyoei Gakuen Private School Corporation. When the raven-haired teen had heard the news, he'd immediately booked a flight home. Unfortunately, adverse weather conditions had kept the airport closed for the past two days, but Mokuba had assured his older brother that he would be there just as soon as the snowstorms abated. 

Seto heard the preacher dismiss the gathered crowd with a subdued, "Go in peace," and he raised his head, watching as the various acquaintances and associates made their way back to their cars. He glanced around once more, looking for his brother, but he already knew that the other wasn't there. As the number of people gradually dwindled, Seto didn't move. He remained where he was, and once he was alone, he dismissed Isono _and_ his omnipresent umbrella, and made his way toward the stone. He crouched down beside it, his fingers lightly, almost reverently, tracing across the raised marble letters. "God, Jou…I miss you so much," Seto murmured, his voice oddly subdued and lacking the normal commanding tone it usually carried.

The blond, who had been hanging around the gravesite, nodded forlornly as he gazed at the sad figure in front of him, a scowl curving his lips downward when his attempt to sift through the rain-soaked bangs merely resulted in his hand passing directly through the brunet's body. "Fuck." Sighing, he settled for resting his hand on top of the gravestone, his fingers seeming to meld into his lover's. "I miss you too, Set'," he replied. "And I'm sorry. I just wanted to say that. I wish I'd have listened to you. Hell, I wish I'd have braved the monkey suit and gone with you to that damned meeting." He gave a humourless bark of laughter at that.

His brow furrowing, Seto lifted his head. "Jou?" he breathed, his heart racing in his chest. For a fraction of a second, he thought he'd heard the blond's laugh. But after a moment, he realized it was just the sound of a lone dog howling at something. A small, sad smile crept across his lips, and he murmured, "Thanks, but you're the wrong koinu."

Jounouchi gasped softly. Somehow, Seto had heard him! "Set'! I'm right here! Right in front of you! Come on! Just look real hard, and I know you'll see me!" Desperately, he waved his hand in front of the other's face, hoping that he could catch the brunet's attention, even for a fraction of a second.

Seto sighed heavily as he slowly got to his feet. "You know, if I'd have known that loving you would hurt this much, I'd never have permitted it to happen. But, the bitch of it all is now that it has, I wouldn't give it up for anything. Katsuya, I swear, I will have my revenge for this. As the head of my house, I am entitled to katakiuchi." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Somehow, that idea brings me little solace right now, but I promise you, however I do it, it will be very satisfying."

"Oh, Set', don't," Jounouchi murmured. "It's not worth the stress to you, and in the end, you're not going to be any happier. Nothing will have changed; I'll still be here and you'll be there."

The brunet leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to the stone, pushing the dripping bangs from his eyes. "I'll be back tomorrow. I'll come by every day to visit, ok?" A single tear fell from Seto's eye and splashed across the polished marble. "Aishiteru, Koinu," he whispered as he stood and walked towards his waiting limo, not at all looking forward to attending the wake that was being held at his home. With a snort, he slid into the backseat, already despising the idea of being in a roomful of people he didn't give a damn about. With any luck, the snowstorm in Tokyo had passed, and Mokuba would be waiting for them at the house so he wouldn't be alone.

* * *

Unfortunately, the younger Kaiba's flight had been delayed for at least another day, and now, Seto sat rather stiffly in his leather office chair, staring unseeingly out the French doors that overlooked his back garden. The leaves on the trees were dead and brown, and several more were littering the normally immaculate lawn. Slowly, his sapphire gaze shifted slightly to the right, to the place where Jounouchi had chosen to have a small cherry wood gazebo built. The outside walls were covered with climbing ivy – for fidelity, and were surrounded by a bed of forget-me-nots – for first love. The blond had decided that when they finally got married, it would be in front of that gazebo. With a slightly pained snort, Seto shifted his attention to the club glass he held in his hand, and he drained the remnants of the cheap vodka he was drinking. He grimaced as it burned his throat, but he didn't care. It was numbing the pain. Tomorrow, he would deal with it on his own, but today, he planned on burying it. Licking his lip slowly, he pushed the empty glass toward the edge of his desk. When he'd walked into his home forty-five minutes prior, his first stop had been the bar, where he'd immediately put back two shots. He had then taken his third to his office with strict instructions to deliver another one every fifteen minutes until he told them to stop. A quick glance at his watch told him that the next would be brought by at any moment. As if on cue, he heard the door to his office open, and gentle footsteps cross the room. "Just leave it on the desk and get out," he snapped, not bothering to even turn to acknowledge the steward.

There was the gentle clink of the glass being set down on the polished wood, but the steps didn't retreat. Instead, there was a soft sigh, and then Yami spoke, his voice still haughty, but slightly subdued. "Kaiba, I just wanted to express my deepest condolences."

Upon hearing the voice, Seto snapped his chair around, his eyes dark, his expression deadly. "Yami," he seethed. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Kaiba, stop it! You're acting like a spoiled child. I just want to talk. You don't even have to say a word; just listen, but please! Stop being so stubborn!" When Seto's only response was to turn his chair back around, effectively ignoring the other, Yami growled in exasperation. "By the gods, you know how to infuriate me as much as my ancient cousin did. You certainly are a perfect reincarnation of Seth – right down to his churlish attitude." He ignored the contemptuous snort from the other, and pressed on. "Kaiba, how can you _still_ deny your ancient past? Especially after what happened to –"

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence!" Seto roared as he cut the other off and faced the former pharaoh once more. His hands were tense on the desktop, and despite the cold fury in his eyes, they also glittered with unshed tears.

"Kaiba…Seto," Yami began again. "I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am; we all are. Jounouchi was a great friend to all of us. If you ever want to talk about it, we're here for you. We understand what you're –"

"No, Yami," Seto snapped. "I don't think you do _understand_. The four of you were his friends, and quite frankly, rather poor ones at that. _I_ was his lover. We shared something that went far deeper than whatever it was you think you had. He was the light of my life, my soul mate, the one I would have given up everything to be with, and the one I would have laid down my own life for. And he was taken from me because _you_ were a careless baka! Well, guess what? You _aren't_ infallible, Yami! You were the source of some unfinished grudge, and yet, he was taken from _me_ , while _you_ come away completely unscathed. As usual. You _never_ have to atone for your errors, do you? Someone else is always there to take the fall for you, to pay for your crimes." He snorted in disgust. "And then you and your group have the nerve to tell me that I'm the spoiled one? I'm the arrogant one? As far as I'm concerned, you can all go to hell."

The crimson-eyed man simply stared at him for a moment, a contrite expression on his face. "Kaiba, I honestly had no idea that any of this would happen. I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am."

"Sorry?" Seto hissed. "You think your apology will change anything? For as 'dangerous' and 'unpredictable' as you've always told us the spirit world is, I would have thought that you of all people would know better than to mess around with something like that. Not only couldn't you control what you'd brought forward, but you allowed him to take Jounouchi. Why the hell didn't you give him Yugi? That would have been a fair trade – for your transgressions, you should have lost something important to you!"

"Jounouchi _was_ important to me, Kaiba."

"Oh, just _stop it_ Yami!" Seto replied. "Spare me the tortured soul routine. You're so full of yourself that you think a few words from you will make things better. Well, they won't! I will never forgive you for this, and I certainly won't ever forget. Tell me, can you bring him back? Even in the form you take?" He saw Yami shake his head. "No? Then we have no more to discuss. You know where the door is; I'm sure you can see yourself out." He got to his feet, angrily snatched the glass from the desk top and downed it in one swallow, slamming it back on the wood surface when he was finished. The deep, sapphire eyes lingered on the pharaoh's form for a few moments more, and then with a swish of fabric, the brunet wordlessly turned on his heel and stepped out onto the patio.

It wasn't long before he heard the heavy oak door close softly in the room, and again, Seto stared unseeingly across the backyard. Everything about it reminded him of Jounouchi, and with a scowl, he had a passing thought to raze everything and start over completely from scratch. But, when he looked again at the gazebo and remembered how carefully the blond had planned everything out, he knew he couldn't do it. He felt another painful tug at his heart, and as a new wave of tears threatened, he realized with wry amusement that he had not consumed near enough alcohol yet. "Goddamned Pharaoh," he muttered. "He spouts all this crap about ancient Egypt, and our destined paths, and accepting what the fates have given to us, and then he so…cavalierly tosses away Jounouchi's life to save his own. And that of his runt. I'd love to pay him back by stealing those precious to him the same way he…" Blue eyes widened, and a slow, dark smile spread across his face. Hurriedly, he went back into his office and booted up his laptop. "All right, Yami…you want me to 'embrace my destiny', ne? Fine…If I'm the reincarnation of your High Priest Seth, then I'm sure I'll have no problems learning a few interesting things." Settling back in his chair, he began to browse various sites about magic and curses, chuckling coldly at a few of them. And, the more he perused the information, the more solidly his plan began to come together. There was just one more thing he needed to do…

He reached for the telephone on his desk, and after looking up the number he needed, he dialled. A small smirk crossed his face. With any luck, he'd get an answer.

"What?" a surly voice demanded when the receiver was lifted.

"Hello, Bakura," Seto replied, for the first time feeling pleased that Isis had found that ancient spell. Initially, she was only going to help Yami, but when Bakura had demanded his release, too, or he would kill Ryou, the Egyptian woman had quickly relented.

"Kaiba Seto?" Bakura drawled, a sinister chuckle in his throat. "I never in my wildest dreams expected to receive a call from you. To what do I owe the…pleasure?" The last word came out almost sounding like a sultry purr.

"I need your assistance with something."

"Something…something," Bakura repeated thoughtfully. "I'm sorry; you'll have to be a little more specific if you want to gain my attention." The white-haired spirit hoped that the brunet couldn't tell from his voice that his curiosity was already piqued. After all, it wasn't every day that Kaiba sought out help from anybody – least of all, him.

"Fair enough," Seto replied. "I want you to help me unlock my past memories. Help me remember the things I used to know back when…" He paused, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Back when I was a High Priest."

For several moments, there was silence on the other end of the line, and then Bakura let out a bark of laughter. "And why would I be interested in helping you do that?" he asked. "I'm afraid my altruism is running a little low these days; what's in it for me?"

"What is it you want?" Seto asked. He was, after all, a businessman, and used to negotiating.

"First of all, tell me why you have a sudden interest in your past."

"I'm sure you know about what happened to Jounouchi?" the brunet replied.

"Yes…Apep came to settle a debt with the Pharaoh, and little Jounouchi was the price. Pity; he always was so pretty. Don't tell me you think that you're going to banish him again?"

"No," Seto answered. "I plan on killing Yami and his friends for the parts they played in this whole thing. And if you help me, I'll let you have that piece of tin Yami wears around his neck. Hell, I'll give you his head if you want it."

"And what of my former host?"

"He wasn't there; I have no interest in him."

"Too perfect!" Bakura murmured, his voice filled with sadistic glee. "Revenge is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Hmm..." The white-haired spirit fell silent, obviously contemplating the request. "It will probably take some effort to unlock those memories, but I'm sure that I can do it. Besides, it's far too tempting of an offer to pass up. All right Kaiba; I'm in. When do you want to begin?"

"The sooner the better," the brunet replied.

"Very well. You do know that I'm limited in my time in my body, right? I can afford you, let's say, two hours a day. It won't happen overnight, but I'm sure that in a month or so, we'll see something interesting."

"I'm sure that will be fine," Seto replied, a cruel smirk curving up his lips. 

"Perfect. I shall see you this evening around seven then. I'm sure we're going to have a wonderful partnership." With that, Bakura hung up the phone, and Seto laughed maliciously, a low, dark sound that hadn't been heard since the days of Death-T. Shutting down his computer, he returned to the Great Hall, hoping that Yami hadn't left yet. After a brief search, he saw Anzu, Ryou, Honda, Otogi, Yugi and Yami off to one side of the room, standing in a small cluster and conversing. As he approached, six sets of eyes turned to him.

"Oh, Kaiba! I'm so sorry for your loss," Anzu cried as she tried to throw her arms around the tall brunet.

Scowling, Seto side-stepped her advance, smirking coolly when Ryou grabbed her and pulled her back to him. Not bothering with the rest of the group, he said, "Yami, I need to speak with you for a moment alone."

The former pharaoh gave the group a small, smug smile – one that suggested that he'd known that Seto would eventually seek him out. Turning to the brunet, he gave him a solemn nod and followed him to the small alcove on the other side of the room. "Yes, Kaiba? Is there something you need?"

Seto's eyes narrowed hatefully, despite the cold sneer that curved his lips upwards. "No, there's absolutely nothing I need from you, Yami. I just wanted to give you fair warning. You have one year to get your affairs in order and take care of any business you need to attend to. I promise you, by next Halloween I will pay you back in kind…with interest."

Yami was stunned speechless by the brunet's words, and he couldn't help the shudder that wracked his frame when he heard the other's low chuckle. Unable to come up with something suitable to say, he watched Seto walk away from him, his Oxfords clicking imperiously across the hardwood floor, the sound carrying an impending finality to it.


	3. Chapter Three

Toward the beginning of January, Seto was starting to feel comfortable with most of the things he had learned about his past from Bakura. At first, he had had some trouble accepting the more intimate, personal details that the white-haired spirit had told him, but slowly, he was beginning to accept the fact that he had, indeed, been High Priest Seth. And with that knowledge came power – an inner strength that grew exponentially the more he learned. The majority of the angst he did feel stemmed from the fact that the brunet, who had up until that point been the most stalwart objector to the entire notion of magic and the supernatural as a whole, was actually quite skilled when it came to matters of the occult. And he wielded his craft with the ruthless precision and meticulous attention to detail that he demonstrated in every other aspect of his life. 

Bakura was noticeably pleased by Seto's abilities, and while he would never breathe a word of it to another soul, living or dead, he had become quite wary of the brunet's mystical talents. The white-haired spirit was quite arrogant when it came to his own mastery of things magic, and justifiably so, but now that Seto was actively practicing the dark arts, his skill set put Bakura's to shame. Having long ago decided that there was little more he could teach the brunet, he contented himself with visiting the blue-eyed CEO every couple of days, chatting amicably with him about various inane subjects, and occasionally bringing him some old scroll or tome to study. But, his favourite pastime by far was to sit off to the side and happily incite the brunet's ire by making some random mention of the pharaoh or his group of friends. However, he had learned, and quite painfully, too, that it was best not to piss off the former High Priest when he was in the middle of doing something. He chuckled softly as he reached out to ring the bell, absently rubbing his left shoulder as he thought about that evening one week prior.

* * *

Seto had been practicing various spells for a couple of hours, having decided that to be properly effective, it was important to master everything, and not just learn a ritual or two. He had been in the process of changing the structural shapes of various objects, bending them into new forms. On the floor in front of him in the Great Hall, he had a glass paperweight, a garden stone, a piece of wood, a brass ornament, and a clay pot. However, none of the items really looked much like anything any more, having been warped and twisted into various grotesque shapes.

Bakura was sprawled out on a divan, and was watching Seto with great interest. When the stone took on an amorphous, humanoid-like shape and wobbled clumsily across the floor, the white-haired spirit arched an impressed eyebrow. "Too bad you couldn't take a lump of clay and mould yourself a new lover," he purred, smirking darkly at the other. He knew that the comment had been exceedingly crass, and that it would certainly get a rise out of the brunet.

"Shut up, Bakura," Seto snapped as he peered up at the other, his expression dark.

Knowing he was dancing dangerously close to the other's sore spot, Bakura sat up and waited until the brunet was once again concentrating on his task. With the silence and grace of a large cat, he slinked over towards the wall, melding slightly into the shadows, his dark eyes peering out at the taller male, glinting maliciously. "You know, the Pharaoh was lying to you," he pressed. "All he had to do was go to Isis and petition her to bring your Jounouchi back." The white-haired spirit gave an exaggerated sigh. "But then, that would have meant admitting that he was wrong. And we both know that he would never do that. Not even if he knew it would bring an end to your suffering." He smirked when he saw Seto once again stop, the sharp sapphire eyes looking around the room for him and narrowing slightly when they finally spotted their quarry. "He's always been jealous of you, his cousin. Personally, I think he wants to see you in pain. It makes him feel _so superior_ to know that he's better than you."

"He is _not_ better than me!" Seto sneered as he dropped his gaze to continue with what he'd been doing. "Now let it go."

Bakura tutted sympathetically as he moved along the wall to a different spot. "Oh, don't stress about it, Kaiba. It's just the way of life. There are winners, and there are _losers_." He laughed delightedly at the warning growl. "Hmm...There was something I meant to tell you. Something I knew you'd find _very_ interesting. Now, what was it? Oh yes. I heard my little light talking. It would seem that the Pharaoh has great plans to honour dear, sweet Jounouchi." He chuckled darkly when the brunet's hands clenched into fists and an angry scowl crept across his face. "Didn't you know? He and his little friends are raising some money and are going to make a donation to your old school. They're hoping to acquire some sort of a memorial for our dear blond. That's got to be a real kick in the ass, ne, Kaiba? Your lover's murderer will forever be honoured as some sort of philanthropist. He'll be lauded for _decades_."

"I said that was _enough_!" Seto roared as the glass paperweight sailed through the air towards Bakura, forming into a long, slender dagger-like shape just before it pierced the spirit's shoulder, pinning him quite forcibly to the wall. 

The white-haired spirit growled in pain as he felt the blood running down his arm. "Temper, temper," he taunted from between clenched teeth, a sadistic smile on his face.

Furiously, the brunet picked up the mangled piece of brass and stormed to where Bakura stood, forming it into a razor sharp athame. Glowering at the other, he made the blade levitate in the air, resting it just against the tomb robber's pale skin. "One more word, and I swear to God, I'll slit your throat," he hissed, his eyes a maelstrom of hate and deep-seeded despair.

"You won't," Bakura replied cockily. "I know you won't...at least not until you've paid me back. I know how much you hate to owe anyone anything. Isn't that right?"

"Fuck you, Bakura," the brunet snarled as he turned away and stormed out of the room, the dagger falling to the floor once its master had left. "You can get yourself free," he snapped, and a few moments later, there was the unmistakable slam of the front door.

The spirit gave a pained laugh as he grabbed the end of the glass rod and tried to pull it free. But, with his trembling fingers and the slickness of the blood, his hand slipped off the end, leaving him effectively trapped. A movement on the far side of the room caught his eye, and with a dark chuckle, Bakura licked the crimson fluid from his fingers. "Don't even look at me like that," he purred. "This was his own idea, and he's doing it for you."

Jounouchi gasped softly, and he quietly crossed the room to where the other male stood. "Y-you can see me?" he asked.

"Of course I can see you, idiot. I'm a spirit, too. Well...more or less."

"Oh thank God!" The blond sagged in obvious relief. "You have to give Set' a message for me."

"I don't have to do a damned thing, least of all for you. Do I look like some sort of delivery service?" Bakura sneered, once again trying to free himself.

"Asshole," Jounouchi muttered, folding his arms petulantly across his chest. "Fine then. I'm sure Yami will be able to see me if you can."

"Actually, he can't," Bakura grinned.

"You're such a fucking liar. You're both the same."

"We are _not_ the same, you impudent cur!" the white-haired spirit seethed as he tried to take a swipe at the other with his good arm. "I am skilled in the dark arts; a master of shadows and a stealer of souls. And, I am able to see things that most cannot. The only powers the pharaoh possesses are solely a result of the title he once held." He pressed his hands against the wall and tried to push himself off of the glass rod, wincing when he felt it move, and knowing that it was going to feel a whole lot worse before it felt better. "Indulge me," Bakura panted softly as he paused for a moment. "What is this important message you want me to pass along anyway?"

"What?" Jounouchi asked, obviously surprised by the seeming change of heart. "Oh, um. I want you to tell Set' that I love him, and that I'm always with him." He scowled and gave the other spirit the finger when Bakura rolled his eyes. "I also want you to tell him that he doesn't have to do this. I don't want to see him get hurt, or the others for that matter. Yeah, the whole situation sucks, and they're a bunch of dumbasses, but it was just an accident."

"How magnanimous of you," Bakura jeered, letting out another pained growl as the glass was wedged deeper into his shoulder, the tip no longer protruding from the front of his arm. "Maybe you should stop thinking about yourself for a moment and take a look at Kaiba. Everything he's done since you died has been for you. He's even been neglecting himself to avenge you. True, it is his right, but it would probably give him some sense of closure. Besides, you would do the same thing were the situation reversed...wouldn't you?" He smirked when the blond's eyes widened, and then turned sad. "Hn, I thought you might see it in a different light when you stepped back and had another look." He wrenched again on his shoulder, and with a frustrated curse, he fell back against the wall. "All right then...you help me out here, and I'll pass on your message, as selfish as it is. I make no guarantees that it will be well-received though." 

"What are you talking about?" the blond asked as he grabbed Bakura's hand and started to pull.

"Ah, hell!" Bakura roared, the rod working itself deeper into his shoulder, and then finally popping free on the other side. "By the gods, that fucking hurt!" he snapped, gingerly rotating his arm, the blood pooling on the otherwise immaculate floor. "Shit...this will take some time to heal." Silently, he phased out of his body, and then looked at Jounouchi. "What I mean, you half-wit, is that I'm sure your dear Seto isn't going to be pleased to hear that I'm passing on messages from the great beyond." He nodded to his injured shoulder. "As you can see, he already doesn't have a very good sense of humour about some things. Although, his craftsmanship is truly excellent." With a sinister, albeit pained laugh, he glanced back at the wall.

"Yeah, well, you were being an ass and earned that," Jou quipped as he casually examined his fingers. "Well then, tell me how I can talk to him myself. I know he heard me once."

Bakura chuckled. "Indeed. I just don't feel compelled to tell you. Besides, I'll be more than happy to see the pharaoh die. Maybe you can approach him in a dream or something," he taunted before he laughed again. "At any rate, you're a smart boy, and you've got lots of time to figure it out...he is, after all, your soul mate. That said, you'll be forced to stick around here until such time as he expires. Soul mates, once found, always travel in pairs don't you know."

"Oh, that's just ducky," Jounouchi groused. "What the fuck am I supposed to do for the next sixty years?"

"Hn." An absolutely evil smile curved across Bakura's face. "I'll let you in on a little secret, this one absolutely gratis." Leaning in close to Jounouchi, he purred darkly, "At the rate he's going, you won't have _quite_ that long to wait." 

Jounouchi gasped in shock as he stared disbelievingly at the other, but before he could say a word, Bakura was gone.

* * *

As the white-haired spirit had predicted, Seto had been less than impressed when he'd opened the door and the first words out of Bakura's mouth had been that he had a message for him from Jounouchi. Resisting the urge to simply slam the door in the other's face, Seto had settled for scowling murderously at his guest in silent warning before stepping aside and letting the other in, heading wordlessly for his study.

Bakura smiled as he followed the other. The study meant that Seto wanted an explanation on something. As they entered the cozy room, Bakura went to the bar and fixed himself a drink. The brunet had some time back given him permission to do so, and it was a privilege that the spirit gladly indulged in. Once he had his highball glass of rye, Bakura sat in the chair opposite Seto's desk and waited for the other to begin.

"Back when I first contacted you, you asked me if I had plans to harm Ryou. Why was that? If he dies, do you?"

Bakura grinned. That was one of the things he liked best about Seto – he was always so direct and to the point. "No, if he dies, then he dies. I am my own person, in a manner of speaking." He took a sip of his drink and eyed the brunet curiously. "Why? Have you changed your mind?"

"No. I just want to make sure I don't accidentally shuffle Yami off this mortal coil before his time…should something happen to Yugi." He stared at the other for several long moments. "You know what an effigy is, ne?"

"Of course. It's the most common way of laying a curse," Bakura replied, watching with interest as Seto removed a small box from the centre drawer of his desk. "Who are you cursing?"

"Right now? Honda," Seto replied as he pulled a bundle of papyrus from the box. Gently, he unwrapped it, smoothing the material out to reveal a wax doll with a rather prominent wedge shaped head. Smirking, he turned the doll to face him. He reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit and removed a fountain pen, and in green ink, he carefully wrote 'Honda Hiroto' on the doll's chest. While he waited for the ink to dry, he looked up at Bakura, his sapphire eyes slightly vacant, dark circles under his eyes. "I thought I'd start subtly," he said, a sadistic smile on his face. "This is a bad luck curse. It will last one month for every minute that the effigy burns. In the time that it runs, the victim will experience bad luck and random, unexplained accidents, until finally, at the end of the period, he will die." Dropping his gaze back to the desk, he picked up a small pen knife and slit the tip of his finger, allowing three drops of his blood to fall on the doll's head. Satisfied, he set the knife aside and wrapped a handkerchief around his injured finger, and then began to carefully fold the papyrus around the doll.

"And where did you learn of this?" Bakura asked, quite intrigued by what he was watching.

Seto shrugged as he looked up at him. "I don't know...it kind of came to me the other night. It should be interesting, ne?" He got to his feet and tucked the small bundle under his arm as he made his way through the house to the living room. When he reached the fireplace, he pulled aside the grating and tossed the whole parcel into the flames, starting the timer on his watch as he recited an incantation while it burned. The flames went through a multitude of colours – yellow, green, purple, pink, blue, and bright white, and nine minutes later, nothing remained of the doll but ash. The brunet grimaced in pain, and for a brief moment it appeared that he couldn't breathe. However, the sensation soon passed, and he laughed darkly. "Looks like you have until the beginning of October, Honda," he murmured, ignoring Bakura's chuckle behind him.

On the other side of the room, Jounouchi's eyes widened in fear as he watched a dark, swirling shadow slowly wend its way around the brunet's body, drawing out a single breath from him in a long, silvery strand, and then disappearing. "Oh Set', please stop," he begged, knowing his words were falling on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Honda slipped on the small throw rug on his kitchen floor, lost his balance, and plunged his hand into the hot oil of his deep fryer.

* * *

As the spring approached, Seto took great pleasure in hearing about the routine visits Honda was making to the emergency room. Not only was he treated to Otogi's incessant moaning, but he also had a triage doctor on his payroll. Every time the man reported to him, the brunet compensated him rather well for the information. In two months, Honda had been treated for that rather nasty oil burn, accidental poisoning, rabies from an encounter with a wily raccoon, a broken foot, and three broken ribs from being hit by a cyclist who wasn't watching where he was going. The hazel-eyed brunet was weathering it all with his relative good humour, chalking it up to a rather severe bout of bad luck. Seto had to laugh at that, and he took great satisfaction in knowing that, for once, Yami was at a loss to explain the situation to his friend. Pleased with the fruits of his labour thus far, he began preparations for the next stage of his plan. In all of his business dealings, he'd learned long ago that people were creatures of habit, and Seto was counting on the predictability of Anzu as he made his next move.

The petite brunette was working as a secretary in a small office downtown while she went to school in the evenings and on weekends. Her relationship with Ryou was going well, and she was hoping that come the fall, she would have enough money saved up that she could apply to schools in the United States. If anyone were to ask her, the perky brunette would happily reply that her life was simply perfect. Smiling to herself, she settled down at her workstation, a small frown furrowing her brow when she saw a package sitting on her desk with only her name, Mazaki Anzu, written across the front in green ink. Wordlessly, she tore the wrapping off, a wide smile creeping across her face when she saw that it was an assortment of rather decadent, and expensive, chocolate truffles from her favourite chocolatier. She was still slightly confused, until she glanced at her calendar and saw that it was, in fact, White Day. "Oh Ryou! You're just the sweetest!" she cooed to herself as she took the lid off the box and greedily ate three of the lush candies, and then savoured a fourth. As she got down to work, she pushed the truffles aside to begin typing, but before long, her eyes wandered back to them, and she ate one more. By the time lunch rolled around, she had polished off the entire thing, much to her own amused embarrassment. Making a silent promise to herself to do an extra-long workout on the treadmill that night, she finally settled down to do some work.

By mid-afternoon, she was ready to crawl out of her skin. She was incredibly itchy, and it was all she could do to not claw at her flesh in an attempt to find some sort of relief. She took an antihisthamine, and that seemed to help her, because by the end of the day, the itching had stopped. She noticed that her hands and arms were slightly red, and there was a faint burning sensation just under the surface of her skin, but she chalked it up to an allergic reaction to something. Making her way home, she decided that she would grab a quick shower – that always seemed to help. Stepping under the hot spray, she sighed in relief as she began to lather herself up with her favourite peach scented body wash. Closing her eyes, she ran her hands over her skin, admiring how smooth it felt beneath her fingers. Preening slightly, she did concede that she'd always taken pride in her beauty regimen. Finished with her shower, she opened her eyes and reached to turn off the water, only to freeze with her hand on the knob, her mouth open in a silent scream.

Her skin, which just that morning had been clear and silky, was now covered with raw, oozing sores, the flesh looking rotted and sickly. In a panic, she ran her hand over the area, this time screaming hysterically when layer upon layer of skin was simply stripped away, falling on the floor of the tub with a nauseating, wet splat. Forgetting all about the tap, she hopped out of the shower and rushed over to the mirror, screaming again when she saw that not just her arms, but her torso, her legs, and even her face were all covered with the same festering lesions. Now sobbing uncontrollably, she hurried into her living room, leaving a dripping, melting trail of skin in her wake as she grabbed for the telephone. She swiped at her eyes, a new wail of panic leaving her as the majority of her nose came away in her hand. Somehow, she managed to call 9-1-1 before she collapsed in a terrified heap on the floor.

* * *

Yami had received the call from Ryou about Anzu the next morning. The doctors had heavily sedated the young woman and were doing what they could for her, but any treatment attempts by the various specialists continued to fail. She had already lost most of her skin, and her muscle tissue was currently under attack. All of the medical experts were baffled – both by the severity and the sudden onslaught of the illness. The prognosis for her was grim. If a way couldn't be found to stop the process within the next twenty-four hours, she would die. The former pharaoh found the whole thing highly unnerving and, despite his better judgment, he decided to call Seto about it. He was quite surprised when the brunet actually agreed to meet him at the game shop that afternoon.

"Hello, Kaiba."

"Yami," Seto replied, his tone clipped. "What is it you want? I told you before that I have nothing to say to you. Or is your memory that bad?"

It had been more than four months since the two of them had last spoken, and considering how they had parted, Yami wasn't that taken aback by the brusque greeting. "I just was wondering how you were doing," he stated, noting the rather exhausted look the brunet had to him.

"Whatever. I don't have a lot of time to waste; I've got better things to do than make small talk with you." He turned to leave.

"Kaiba, wait!" Yami called, breathing a silent sigh of relief when the other turned around and stared at him. "About the last time we talked..."

"What about it?" The smallest hint of a smirk curved up the brunet's lips.

"Were you serious about that, or was it something you said in a moment of anger?" Yami asked. He paused for a moment, knowing he'd have to be careful how he proceeded from this point on.

Sapphire eyes narrowed slightly as the smirk widened. "Why? Are you scared, Yami? You should be. I warned you, didn't I?"

The former pharaoh gasped slightly as he met those intense eyes. He could feel a different sort of aura emanating from the brunet – one that was far more powerful and focused than anything he'd experienced since the days of... "Oh gods..." he murmured quietly. "Honda? And Anzu?"

"You really should look out for your friends better than you have." The brunet smiled coldly. "You have seven and a half months...I'd suggest you not waste them." With that, he turned and left, his plans for Yugi ready and waiting. It would be a while before he would need the smaller, cherubic man, but one could never be _too_ prepared.

Trailing along forlornly behind him, Jounouchi watched the various shadow creatures nip along at his lover's heels, glaring almost jeeringly at the blond before they disappeared into the ground, their rows of sharp teeth and glittering green eyes blazing brightly in the light. "I hope you've got more time than that," he murmured miserably as he caught up to the other, trying desperately to touch his hand, only to, as always, pass right through him. "If you ask me, it still doesn't seem worth it."


	4. Chapter Four

It turned out that the doctors had all been wrong. Anzu, much to everyone's surprise, had managed to hang on for an entire week before she'd finally succumbed to her illness. The entire medical community had been up in arms, bracing itself for some sort of epidemic to strike Domino. It had been even more baffled to learn that whatever had affected the young woman did not seem to be contagious in any way. After seeking permission from the petite brunette's family, biological samples were sent to the university for study, and pathologists from around the globe flocked to the city in order to have a chance to research this medical mystery.

Seto hadn't attended the funeral service, but he had gone to the cemetery. He had stood off to the side, some distance away, watching the ceremony with a smugly satisfied smile on his face. Twice, he had caught Yami's eye, his own expression defiant, as if in challenge. He had practically purred in pleasure when the former pharaoh's only reaction had been to bow his head. And, when everyone had been making their way back to their cars, he had made but a single comment in passing to his nemesis. "I'm sure the world will remember her more like this than they ever would have for her artistic prowess. At any rate, she's got her famous name and media attention."

The summer came, and with it, Mokuba's return to Domino – at least for a few weeks while he was between terms. The raven-haired teen had been quite surprised when he had seen his brother. The brunet's skin had been even paler than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look as though he hadn't slept in weeks. Despite the younger sibling's doting concern, Seto had convinced him that he was beyond fine, and that there was no need for him to worry. After a few more days of pestering and prodding, Mokuba had finally dropped the issue.

He had, however, gone to visit Yugi and company – much to his older brother's consternation. While Mokuba had been there, he'd been quite taken aback to learn about Anzu, and he had been utterly shocked to see Honda with his arm in a sling. The stocky brunet had apparently dislocated it when he'd taken a tumble down the steep steps leading from City Hall. But, as the fin-haired brunet had quickly pointed out, had he fallen five seconds later, he would have likely had his head taken off by the 9:15 cross-town bus as it had thundered its way through the morning traffic. Yami had tried to speak to Mokuba, hoping that the raven-haired teen could talk some sense into his brother, but the conversation had not proceeded as well as the former pharaoh would have liked. First of all, Mokuba had been absolutely furious that the other would even try to blame his brother for such ridiculous things, _especially_ with no proof. And then, he'd laughed outright at the other's insistence that Seto had been practicing magic. He knew that his brother would never even entertain such ideas, and the thought had been pushed aside as soon as he had left the game shop, never to be mentioned again. A few days later, he had gone back to Tokyo to prepare for the next semester, hugging his older sibling, and making him promise to look after himself.

Truth be told, Seto had honestly never felt better – except for the fact that he was perpetually tired. During the day, he continued to hone his abilities, perfecting his skills to the point where they were practically second nature to him now. He no longer needed Bakura's help with anything, although the white-haired spirit did still occasionally drop by once every couple of weeks to see if he could glean any details from the brunet about his upcoming plans. Seto, as was to be expected, had not been very forthcoming with information, much to Bakura's dismay. Still, the former tomb-robber found himself to be in high spirits as they moved into fall. He felt almost like a child at Christmas, eagerly awaiting some long-anticipated gift.

And then, there was the night in early October when Seto had once again heard from Jounouchi.

* * *

Seto was sitting in his study, silently reading through a book. Jounouchi, as he so often did, was pacing aimlessly back and forth and trying desperately to find some way to make the other aware of his presence. He was still quite pissed off at Bakura. He'd spoken to the white-haired spirit on several more occasions, always trying to get some clue as to how he could communicate with Seto. And, every time, he would be denied. "Long-haired, girly fuck!" the blond muttered as he moved about the room now with more conviction. Scowling, he swiped irritably at some papers on the corner of the brunet's desk, and he arched an eyebrow when he saw them flutter at his touch. His heart leapt when Seto lifted his head from the pages of the heavy tome to frown curiously.

"Fuck! Yes!" Jou crowed, his excitement quickly turning to irritation when he tried to do it again and found that he couldn't. "No!" he cried, shaking his head vehemently, and pleading with every deity to stop the cruel joke. "It's not _fair_!" he shouted angrily, his eyes going wide when he heard the brunet's wine glass shatter on the desk top. Even though Seto couldn't see him, he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"If that's you messing around, Bakura, I'll kill you, you psychotic imbecile," Seto muttered as he got up to retrieve a cloth to soak up the wine from his desktop. Upon receiving no reply, the brunet snorted and finished his cleaning, dumping everything into the wastebasket beside him. Suddenly, a contemplative expression crossed his face, and he booted up his laptop, quickly attaching the drafting tablet to it. "Jou?"

The blond's breath caught in his throat, and his eyes wide, he nodded. "Set'! I'm here! Can you hear me?" When the other didn't answer him, he sighed sadly. "Damn it…"

"Jou, if it's you, write to me on this tablet." Seto demonstrated what he meant by dragging the tip of a finger lightly across the surface, the movements appearing on the screen beside him. "I know you have the capacity to move things. You just have to concentrate and focus everything into doing it. Keep it simple, though. It's going to be very tiring for you, if you're able to."

Jounouchi scoffed. "Fuck, whatever. How hard can it be?" Taking the brunet's words to heart, he slowly licked his lips and focused all the love he had for Seto on making his finger feel the device. His stomach fluttered when he felt the smooth, cool surface of the drawing tablet beneath his finger, and very slowly, he traced out a rather shaky, _'Set'_. Finished, he moved back, panting heavily as though he'd just run a lengthy sprint. "Holy shit," he breathed exhaustedly.

The brunet smiled softly, a gentle warmth settling in his eyes for the first time in months. "Not that I don't believe you, but I've never really been the trusting sort. Especially in light of what happened to you. Prove it's you."

"Prove it?" the blond echoed incredulously. "How the fuck am I supposed to..?" Suddenly, he grinned, and traced out Seto's old high school locker combination – 30-25-8 – the abbreviated stats for his beloved Blue Eyes White Dragon card. Only Jounouchi had ever been privy to that.

Seto chuckled. "I'm glad to know you're around. Have you been here all this time?" He smiled when a sloppy _'Y'_ appeared on the screen, and then frowned when the blond spelled out, _'Plz stop'_. "Stop what?" he asked.

Jounouchi sighed, and carefully wrote a single word: _'Magic'_.

The brunet shook his head. "I can't do that, Jou. Too much has already been set in motion for me to simply up and quit." He paused, and then said, "It will be over soon."

Jounouchi furrowed his brow. There was so much he wanted to tell his lover, but he was so tired, and his mind didn't seem to be working well enough to form proper sentences any more. He wanted to warn the brunet about the monsters lurking around him, and tell him that they were pulling him away from him, but all he managed was, _'Shadows don't leave me'_.

Seto was confused by the message, and he said so as he wiped the screen clear. "I won't leave you. Ever. However, you have to trust me," he murmured. "I do know what I'm doing, Jou. But, I have to know one thing. Do you still love me, even after all of this?"

The blond closed his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. He'd never stopped loving the brunet. And he never would. He smiled wryly as he thought back to the first conversation he'd had with Bakura. He knew now that, yes, he would have reacted the same way if it had been Seto who had died. Hell, there was no denying that if it came to making a choice between his friends and Seto, the brunet would always win. Opening his eyes, he traced a shaky finger along the tablet, drawing a single Y.

"Yes," Seto breathed as he sat back in his chair, a single tear running down his cheek as he swallowed harshly. "Then I know that I've made the right decision. I regret nothing." A small smile curved across his face, and he said quietly, "I love you, too. I'll be talking to you again soon." With that, he unplugged the tablet and shut down his computer, uttering a gentle, "Rest now."

It took Jounouchi five days to regain his strength.

* * *

It was Friday, October 13th when Honda's luck, as bad as it had been, finally ran out. He had been released from the hospital that morning, having spent the past two weeks there. First, he'd been rushed in for an emergency appendectomy, and then, the sutures had turned septic, so he'd been battling a fever and a blood infection. He'd gone home in good spirits, delighting in the warm autumn breeze, and he wanted nothing more than to spend some time outside, having been cooped up in a hospital bed for far too long for his tastes. To his dismay, Otogi had needed to attend to something in town, but the ebony-haired man had promised that they would go out together when he returned – on the stipulation that Honda rest.

For the first hour, the stocky brunet had abided by his lover's wishes, lounging lazily on the couch and idly flicking through the channels on the television. However, he began to feel a little stir crazy, and he decided that it wouldn't hurt him to get out for a bit on his own. He was feeling fine and full of energy, and not even the dark cloud of misfortune that seemed to hang over him would deter him from enjoying some fresh air. After sneaking past Otogi's house staff, Honda eagerly headed for the garage, silently wheeling his Ninja down the driveway, and firing it up once he was on the street.

He gave a cry of joy as he felt the wind whipping across his body, and grinning widely, he opened up the throttle on the bike and headed off down the expressway for the outskirts of town. Honda loved this part of the city with its steep hills, winding roads, and thrilling hair-pin turns through the mountains and along the coast. He rode all the way to the top of Mount Haru, buying his lunch –an order of prawn okonomiyaki – from a local merchant. Full and content, he began making the two hour ride back to town, knowing that he needed to get home before Otogi could catch him. As he was riding along the coast, he suddenly felt very dizzy and nauseous, and for a moment, he thought he was going to throw up. Giving his head a shake, he tried to suppress the queasiness he felt. His vision blurred slightly, and with a pained groan, he idly wondered if choosing a street vendor at the top of a mountain had been the wisest choice, bemusedly hoping he didn't have food poisoning. He really didn't want to make another trip to the hospital.

Suddenly, his stomach lurched, the bike wobbled, and the front tire dipped down onto the shoulder and lost traction in the loose gravel which, in turn, caused the entire bike to yaw and slide out from under him. Honda managed to keep from going over the embankment, but for his efforts, he was tossed to the side, his body skidding fifteen feet one way while his bike hit the guard rail on the other side of the street, bending the front fork. "Shit!" he muttered. Now he was going to have to call for a ride home – there was no way he could ride. Angrily, he got to his feet, grimacing slightly at the pain in his previously injured shoulder and brushing the gravel from his abraded hands as he stared sullenly at his traitorous bike. Huffing impatiently, he made to cross the road, only to hear the warning horn of the transport truck mere seconds before it struck him.

* * *

Yami sat cross-legged on his bed, all the lights out save for the small desk lamp. He gazed unseeingly at the picture he had of his friends that Sugoroku had taken at their high school graduation. Lightly, he traced across the image and then set it aside, furrowing his brow as he gazed once more at the calendar. It was October 30th. He wasn't stupid enough to think that Kaiba had forgotten about him, nor was he strong enough to even try to face the angry brunet. He'd contemplated various courses of action, but each plan was flawed, each idea destined to fail. A direct assault would be fruitless – the other's skills overshadowed his own, and would be countered without a second thought. The only thing he could think to do at this point was sit and wait, and hope that when the time came, he would be able to call upon his ancient cousin's sense of logic and rationality.

Whether Seto's thinking had been right or wrong, Yami didn't know. He himself had sought revenge for much less; to judge would mean being a hypocrite. A small, sad smile crossed his face. Still, when one was on the receiving end of the executioner's axe, it was easy to put on blinders and preach the moral high ground. Sighing, he leaned back on his pillow, a barely audible chuckle escaping him. The worst part about this whole thing wasn't the fact that Seto was going to kill him. It was that he knew when it was going to happen. Anticipating it made it a thousand times worse, and he could almost guarantee that was why Kaiba had told him. It was the spontaneity of the act that kept one from fearing it.

He looked up when he heard his bedroom door open, and he smiled warmly when he saw Yugi standing there, wearing his concubine costume from a year ago, and carrying a goblet of wine in his hands. "I brought you a drink, my Pharaoh," he purred as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, offering the beverage to the slightly larger man, his head bowed slightly.

Yami chuckled as he accepted the glass, taking a large sip and then offering a taste to his other. When Yugi just shook his head, the former pharaoh shrugged and set it aside on his night stand. "Is there something you wanted?" he asked, leaning forward and kissing the other gently on the lips.

"Come walk with me, Yami," Yugi urged as he got to his feet, turning his back to the other and heading for the door.

The spirit arched a surprised brow, but he was accustomed to Yugi's sometimes strange games. Without another word, he followed his lover downstairs and out into the night. "Where are we going, Yugi?" he asked when the other turned onto the sidewalk, slowing just enough to take his hand, still not looking back at him.

"The school," he replied simply, tugging the taller man along.

"Why?" There was no answer from the other, so Yami pressed, "Yugi, tell me what's going on."

"I want to show you something," the smaller man said in a quiet voice, turning slightly to regard his lover with a feral smile.

Yami felt his pulse quicken at the look, and falling silent, he lengthened his stride.

When they arrived, Yugi climbed up the stairway to the roof, turning and beckoning for Yami to follow him. Once the former pharaoh had joined him, Yugi kissed him softly, and then led him over to the opposite side of the building.

Eagerly Yami complied, only to stop in his tracks when he saw that there was a large summoning circle painted on the roof, and a small 'altar' off to the side, adorned with candles. "Yugi, what is all this?" he demanded, resisting the insistent tugs of the other.

"I think you know quite well what it is, Yami. After all, you're the one who made my former self use this time and time again, ne?" Seto replied from the shadows, a dark chuckle echoing in the night. "Yugi, you did a good job bringing him here. Now, get him over to the fence as we discussed." The brunet laughed again when the smallest male reached into the front of his costume and withdrew a 9mm handgun.

The former pharaoh looked at Seto, his eyes narrowed slightly. "So, shoot me. You're going to kill me anyway."

"Oh, I don't want to shoot you, Yami. I don't want to risk you weaselling your way out of a permanent death by my using something so conventional. No, we're going to do things my way. Yugi, do it."

"Yami, please do as Kaiba-san asks," he murmured, his wide, amethyst eyes large and unblinking as he chambered a round and then held the gun against his own temple.

"Kaiba, that's enough!" Yami shouted as he took a half-step towards his lover, pausing when he saw the other pull the trigger back to the first stop. "This isn't funny any more! Let Yugi go!"

"It was never about _fun_ ," Seto seethed, sneering hatefully at the other. "It was about revenge, and paying you back for what you took from me." He snorted in amusement. "And you're hardly in a position to make demands. Now, get over there."

"I don't think –"

"No, you certainly don't," Seto replied coldly as he interrupted him. "Yugi, kill yourself."

Yami was shocked into silence as the shot rang out. As if in slow motion, he watched as his beloved hikari pulled the trigger. A fine spray of blood, bone and brain erupted from the other side of his skull, the light coming back into those beautiful amethyst eyes for a fraction of a second before the veil of death descended upon them. As he crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, the gun went skittering across the ground away from him. He saw the ever-widening crimson pool spreading out around the small form, and as he stood there numbly, he was vaguely aware of a warm moisture running down his cheeks.

"That's _much_ better," Seto purred as he grabbed the tri-colour haired man by the tips of his blond spikes and dragged him forcefully toward the fence. "That's the look I like seeing on your face. Fear. It's much better than that infuriating, pompous, _superior_ expression you think you've earned the right to wear." With a dark smile, he handcuffed each of Yami's wrists to the chain link fence, and then removed the Millennium Puzzle from around his neck. As he walked back to the altar, he dropped it carelessly on the ground, his eyes slightly narrowed. "I told you that you could have it when I was finished. Until then, stay the hell out of my way," he hissed, watching with a pleased smile when Bakura withdrew back into the shadows.

"Kaiba, you don't have to do this," Yami urged. "There's still time. We can fix this."

"Shut up!" the brunet snapped. "I don't want to fix it. I want you to die, and then I can move on." He smirked when he saw the surprised expression on the other's face. "Yes, I know what I'm doing, and I know the cost." Ignoring the further protests of the smaller man, he set about making his final preparations. "You know, initially I was going to call on your friend Apep. I thought it would be poetic justice for you to experience the same thing that Jounouchi had. But then I thought you deserved your own punishment."

He stood in front of the small altar he had prepared, and as he began to recite his incantation, the circle began to glow an eerie blue, gradually growing in intensity to a bright blue-white. He picked up a silver dagger, and in one, smooth stroke he slit his own wrist, letting the blood fall onto the inscriptions. There was a hissing sound, like water against a hot rock, and slowly, the symbols turned violet, and then a brilliant red. Holding his hands up in front of him, he called out, "Come forth, Arioch!"

A brilliant, violet flame erupted from the centre of the circle, and slowly, a large, black mass began to rise from the centre of it. As the flames died away, a pair of large, black, leathery wings unfurled, spanning about twenty feet. The creature himself stood about eight feet tall, his skin a smooth ebony, and very muscular.  
He had a long, sleek tail that waved slowly back and forth, the tip barbed with a row of ten-inch razor sharp quills. As he tipped back his head, the shock of long, crimson hair hanging down to his waist, he let out a feral roar, revealing a mouthful of pointed fangs. A forked tongue flicked out and he licked his lip as he turned to Seto, his red eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. "Your offering pleases me. I will accept it," he growled lowly, a sinister smile on his face as he turned toward Yami.

The former pharaoh's eyes widened as the revenge demon approached him, but he never spoke another word, for at that point, Arioch leaned down and bit through his throat. As he dragged away his gift, and a portion of the fence, too, one arm was torn free from its socket, left to hang limply from the handcuff as the demon made away with his prey.

Seto grimaced in pain as he clutched his chest, trying to breathe. Although he couldn't laugh, he grinned delightedly as he watched his creature devour all that had once been Yami. When he was finished, Seto offered Arioch a low bow, and adding more of his blood to the circle, he dismissed the demon, sending it back to its home. He closed his eyes for a moment, a contented smile on his lips, and when he opened them again, he could see Jounouchi standing against the wall of the school. He could see Bakura sitting in the shadows, greedily eyeing his prize as he held it in his hands. He could see the shadow creatures as they swarmed around him, continuing to steal his life energy, all the while chuckling cruelly, their voices sounding like subdued whispers and small gusts of wind.

"God, Set', are you finished now? Is it finally over?" Jounouchi murmured as he looked at the carnage surrounding him. "Are you going to stop this before you die?" he said sadly.

"I told you before, Jounouchi, that you had to trust me. I knew what I was doing," the brunet replied with a breathless groan as he looked toward the blond.

"Set'? You can hear me now?" Jou's eyes widened and he made his way to where the brunet stood, trying to shoo the dark shadows away, but finding himself unable to. "Fuck Set', the more you've done, the further you've pushed me away," he said lowly. "How can I be with you when you've got all of these dark shadows hanging over you?"

Seto chuckled softly, blinking lethargically as he looked at his lover. "Katsuya, I've known since I started this that the magic would slowly consume my life force; such is the price of revenge. It wasn't the magic, but it was the deal I'd made with Arioch that caused this. I've been making preparations for this night for some time." He smiled gently, despite the agonized moan he gave when he felt the crushing weight against his chest again. "I told you once that I would gladly give my life for yours. And when you died, I knew that the only way you could be free from…this existence…was if I was dead, too. It was a choice I was quite happy to make." He gave a humourless chuckle as he looked at the shadow monsters. "Not yet… You haven't taken me yet," he sneered. "Arioch only demanded my life as payment, but he won't get my soul, too." Closing his eyes, he called on all of his reserves to cast a purifying spell, banishing the evil creatures permanently. As they slowly blinked open, he smiled tiredly. "Now, Katsuya. We can be together now. Isono knows to come here shortly after midnight, and he'll arrange to take my body home, tell the stories I set out for him. It will look like a stress-induced heart attack." With trembling fingers, he reached out and gently touched the blond's face. "There's a quote. It says, 'No man has ever served me, and no enemy has ever wronged me, whom I have not repaid in full'." He licked his lips, and with his final breath, he drew Jounouchi into his arms as he said, "I'd say the slate is now even. Hell, I've got you…I'd say I came out ahead."


End file.
